Commission launches Pittsburgh 250 initiative

As Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary approaches in 2008, the Pittsburgh 250 Commission kicked off its marketing effort at a news conference Friday.

The marketing campaign, called "Imagine what you can do here", is designed to help drive interest from convention visitors and tourists, as well as stimulate economic growth within southwestern Pennsylvania by encouraging companies and employees to locate and grow here.

"We've got more building blocks than anybody, yet we don't market them in ways other cities (do)," said James Rohr, chairman and CEO of PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (NYSE:PNC) and chairman of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, as well as the Pittsburgh 250 Commission. "... (We want to) market it in a way that we leverage what we have and who we are."

The campaign will include local and national print and electronic advertisements, a Web site (www.ImaginePittsburgh.com), activities and events designed to generate community involvement and commemorate the 250th anniversary and marketing materials that will be sent directly to business decision makers around the world.

The new print ads include one designed to highlight the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, with a photo of Pittsburgh on the left and a CMU robot in Antarctica on the right. Another has a birthday cake representing Pittsburgh's upcoming anniversary, next to a Ferris wheel, which was created by local bridge builder George Ferris.

"We want to invite people to imagine all of the possibilities that could open up a whole new world for them here when they come to Pittsburgh," said Michele Fabrizi, president and CEO of MARC USA, which created the strategic platform for the marketing effort.

The advertisements will appear in local media later this year, as well as in national publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek.

A number of local businesses and organizations have worked together as part of the Pittsburgh 250 Commission to develop the initiative, including MARC, Red House Communications and Burson-Marsteller.

Local community leaders, including Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and newly instated Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, were also present at the news conference to show their support for the new initiative.

"This event ... gives us an opportunity a few years down the road to put our best face forward," Ravenstahl said.

So far, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and the Allegheny Conference have secured nearly $3 million to pay for the marketing effort, through a combination of corporate and foundation funding.

The campaign's success will be measured by how many businesses decide to locate, stay or expand here and how much talent is retained in the region, Fabrizi said.

Businesses are encouraged to use the new logo and other materials, which are available on the new Web site, within their own marketing materials. The Web site also includes a section for businesses, with links to various chambers of commerce throughout the region.